Hovel huntin'

Joanne and I have officially begun the hunt for a new place to live whereby we can be in debt to a bank for decades to come, but at least stop flushing money down the toilet in the world of rent.

We have a real estate agent, who is doing a great job so far, and we started seeing places two evenings ago, saw some more last evening and we'll see some again tonight.

One townhouse we saw was kind of nicely sided in dark cedar and built in 1977. Then we went inside and realized we were in 1977. Shag carpets, cheap wooden door frames, even photos on the wall of a family that tragically looked stuck in the 70s. In the back yard was a barbecue, swinging patio chair, hot tub and waterfall and pond with goldfish. I wonder if they have key parties with the neighbours.

Things in our budget are looking like this so far:



Not bad. A bit of a fixer-upper, but room for a garden at least.

OK, not a real place we looked at. Basically we are looking at condos or townhouses, but we have quickly realized that in our price range we can get a new or near-new, if smallish, condo, or a large, old, and a bit sketchy townhouse. And once you've seen gleaming barely used appliances and bathroom fixtures, new laminate and tile and carpet, flawless walls and doors and trims, it's hard to get excited about a few extra hundred square feet and a patch of grass in a townhouse from the 1970s. So we are leaning hard toward condo.

Two other observations so far as a first time homebuyer who has never done this before:

1. It's really difficult, at least for me, to separate a place from its decor. To look beyond bilious green and fuschsia walls at what a place could be like in normal colours isn't easy. To ignore hand-stictched Home-Sweet-Home wall-hangings and Archie Bunkeresque sofas and stinky hockey equipment is a challenge. And conversely I find it easy to be sucked in to a stylishly appointed pad with pictures of beautiful people on the wall.

2. We are having a hard time getting over the number of 19- or 21- or 45- or 55-and-over condo and townhouse complexes there are around. We know there are a lot of elderly people in Chilliwack, but why this fear and loathing of children? Is it even legal to discriminate so blatantly because of age like that? I don't know, maybe it is, but there seems to be something wrong with that. And what happens when you live in a 19-plus complex and you get pregnant? Does the strata gestapo come marching down the carpeted halls to remove your satanic procreating ass? I'll bet they would have no legal means to kick you out of a building where you are an owner becuase you have a baby. But then, I guess you wouldn't be the most popular person in the buidling after doing that, and that in itself might be not worth it. I can maybe understand a really elderly-focused place like 55- or even 45-plus, but many are 19-plus. So, two pot-smoking, partying 20-year-olds is A-OK (who we saw in one building below an elderly woman who desperately wanted to sell because of them), but a quiet couple with a new baby is shunned at the outset. I don't get it.

So far of what we've seen we are pretty keen on one building—with no age restrictions, babies may come at some point—that has three units for sale. We saw all three last night, and all were very similar with pros and cons, but we are so interested we want to be reminded and will see them again tonight.

One we like because it is the top floor with great views, high ceilings and really feels stylish. Another we like because it is on the ground floor and has a ridiculously gigantic south-facing patio. Enough room to play badminton (except that it is concrete). You could have a party with 30 people out there and not be crowded, although more realistically for our lifestyle (the party days are over), we could put out planters, as many as we want, and Joanne could grow tomatoes and other great stuff. And the third unit is on the second floor and has really nice unobstructed views to the west, mountains and sunset over an elementary school yard and, oddly, the owner is leaving behind not just furniture, but everything except the art on the wall and his underwear. That includes all dishes, cups, kitchen stuff of every kind, two beds, sofa set, side tables, and more, including a 40 or 50-inch flat screen TV. The only problem is, unsurprisingly, is that his furniture is so hideously tasteless it boggles the imagination. But still, the TV, some furniture and some other odds and ends would be good to have and we could sell the rest and would be worth some money for sure.

So will it be behind door number 1, 2 or 3? High ceilings, killer patio or big screen TV? Hmmmm . . .